CCSA operations director say detailed announcements on Thailand’s reopening plan to vaccinated foreign tourists without quarantine will come this week

A clear and actual plan for Thailand’s reopening to welcome fully vaccinated foreigners will be discussed and finalized within 1-2 days, the director of the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s (CCSA) operations center stated today, October 18th.

General Supot Malaniyom from the CCSA’s operations center revealed today to the press that the details of the plan to open the country to fully vaccinated tourists without mandatory quarantine, according to the Prime Minister’s policy, will be announced at a major CCSA meeting within 1-2 days from today, October 18th, 2021.

Additionally, details on what should be prioritized and considered in terms of how and if the plan will be able to be implemented next month will be available this week and will not be “held off until the last moment”, according to the director. This statement appeared to be directed at many people commenting on social media who had been afraid that any “official” announcements about the plan would be held off until possibly the last several days of October, like the Phuket Sandbox previously, leaving people with little time to plan potential trips in November.

Full Story: https://thepattayanews.com/2021/10/18/ccsa-operations-director-say-detailed-announcements-on-thailands-reopening-plan-to-vaccinated-foreign-tourists-without-quarantine-will-come-this-week/

Source - ASIAN NOW

VISA AGENT

PM sets Nov 1 for reopening to foreign tourists from low-risk countries

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Monday that he will push for the opening up of the country to fully vaccinated foreign tourists from at least 10 countries on Nov 1, as the government earlier planned.

Gen Prayut said in a nationally televised broadcast that fully vaccinated tourists from at least 10 low-risk countries would be allowed to enter Thailand by air with no quarantine requirements.

The prime minister named the United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany, China and the United States among the first group of countries to benefit from the move.

"I have instructed the CCSA and the Ministry of Public Health to urgently consider within this week to allow, as of Nov 1, international visitors to enter Thailand without any requirement for quarantine if they are fully vaccinated and arrive by air from low-risk countries," he said.

He pledged to open the gates for more countries by Dec 1 and targeted others by Jan 1.

Tourists from countries not on the low-risk list would be allowed but they would be required to quarantine, he added.

The announcement came after other countries including Singapore and Australia eased travel restrictions for their citizens to travel overseas.

Gen Prayut hoped the decision to open up the country next month would draw foreign tourists to Thailand over the next three months, including the forthcoming year-end holidays.

They would revitalise the sector and related businesses that involved millions of people in the country, he went on.

The government had earlier planned to open only Bangkok and several provinces for foreign tourists on Nov 1. The other provinces are Chon Buri (Pattaya city, Bang Lamung district, and Sattahip district), Phetchaburi (Cha-am district), Prachuap Khiri Khan (Hua Hin district) and Chiang Mai (Muang, Mae Taeng, Mae Rim and Doi Tao districts).

Monday's announcement indicated that the reopening would cover all parts of the country.

The announcement came after the country saw the number of fatalities drop below 100 in recent days, with new cases hovering around 10,000.

Although the situation was improving in most parts of Thailand, a surge of new infections continued in Narathiwat, Pattani, Songkhla and Yala. The southern border provinces were in the spotlight of health authorities who were mulling additional measures to clamp down on the spike in the areas.

Tourism was the main sector driving the economy before the pandemic floored the industry last year. The sector accounted for about 20% of gross domestic product if both local tourists and foreign arrivals were counted. Revenue from foreign tourists alone was about 15% of GDP, as the country welcomed almost 40 million travellers from abroad, especially Chinese.

The Bank of Thailand estimated only 200,000 foreign arrivals this year with the number jumping to 6 million next year.

Restrictions eased for alcohol sales

The prime minister said the government will allow restaurants and other places to sell alcohol by Dec 1 to promote tourism and the entertainment sector as people plan to celebrate the new year.

"By Dec 1, we will also consider allowing the consumption of alcoholic beverages in restaurants as well as the operation of entertainment venues under appropriate health precautions to support the revitalisation of the tourism and leisure sectors, especially the new year period," he said.

Source - BangkokPost

Our - VISA AGENT

Thailand Nov 1 reopening to go ahead providing COVID-19 situation remains stable

The proposed reopening of Bangkok and other major tourist destinations in Thailand will go ahead on November 1, providing the COVID-19 situation does not worsen.

Speaking on Saturday (Oct 10) government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the reopening of Bangkok, Chiang Mai (Mueang district, Mae Rim, Mae Taeng and Doi Tao), Prachuap Khiri Khan (Hua Hin and Nong Khae), Phetchaburi (Cha Am) and Chonburi (Pattaya, Bang Lamung and Sattahip) will go ahead as long as there is not a sudden spike in cases or no large clusters are discovered between now and the end of October.

Following the reopening, the government expects to earn 1.5 trillion baht from tourism in 2022, Mr Thanakorn said.

Domestic tourists will account for 850 million baht with Thais expected to make 160 million trips next year.

Meanwhile, the government expects 15 million foreign tourists to visit Thailand in 2022, generating 650 billion baht in revenue.

Mr Thanakorn said the 1.5 trillion baht revenue target is approximately half the amount the country's tourism industry earned in 2019 before the start of the pandemic.

Mr Thanakorn also gave an update on the Phuket Sandbox, which has been hailed a success.

As of Thursday (Oct 7) 43,026 foreign tourists had visited Phuket via the Sandbox program.

Most tourists came from the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

Source - ASIAN NOW

Our VISA AGENT

Thai Airways ready to carry foreign tourists

Thai Airways International Plc (THAI) is ready to arrange special direct charter flights from six countries and territories to Phuket under the government’s plan to revive the subdued tourism sector, said THAI acting president Chansin Treenuchagron on August 27.

Thai Airways International Plc (THAI) is ready to arrange special direct charter flights from six countries and territories to Phuket under the government’s plan to revive the subdued tourism sector, said THAI acting president Chansin Treenuchagron on August 27.

The six countries and territories are Denmark, Germany, the UK, the Republic of Korea (RoK), Japan and Hong Kong (China).

The airline can make two flights per month on each of these routes, Chansin said.

THAI is expected to begin these special flights in late November. The airline will even increase the flights on these routes if it sees rising demand, he said.

It is also expected to make special charter flights from China to Phuket.

Chansin said THAI has attached the utmost importance to the security and health of passengers on all these routes.

Tourism businesses have asked the government to open the country to some groups of foreigners to help boost the struggling sector, which is suffering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on August 26 that he was in talks with state agencies on how to open the country to foreign tourists once the pandemic situation improves./.

Source - PattayaNews
 

Lao Domestic Tourism Targeted for 2020

The Lao government has announced it will begin promoting domestic tourism next year as a way to boost tourism in addition to attracting foreign arrivals.

In a succession of visit year campaigns, 2018 saw Visit Laos Year, which helped the country attract large numbers of overseas visitors. Following the campaign’s success, this year was dubbed Vist Laos-China Year 2019, and included bilateral activities and tourism promotion between Laos and China.

The apparent success of the previous two visit year campaigns has prompted the government to go for a third, with the yet to be named domestic tourism year happening in 2020.

Sources say the campaign may be dubbed Lao Thiao Lao 2020, meaning “Lao visit Laos Year 2020”.

Vientiane Times reported that the department of Tourism Marketing under the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism, is working on a campaign to encourage Lao people to travel within the country, as part of the national socio-economic development plan for 2020.

Consultation with tourism operators has already begun, while an exact target for visitor numbers has not yet been released.

International Tourism Target Set

In 2020, the government expects to attract around 4.7 million international visitors and raise more than US$ 900 million in revenue.

More than 756,900 Chinese visitors came to Laos this year, an increase of about 26 percent over the same period in 2018, with the Vist Laos-China Year being hailed as a success by authorities.

Newly appointed Lao Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism Mr. Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune, recently met with Trip.com Group CEO Ms. Jane Sun for discussion on ways the website may assist tourism in Laos.

Source - Laotion Times

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#Cambodia - Tourist arrivals up by 10 percent - Chinese up by 35%

Tourist-at Phnom Penh Airport

A Tourism Ministry report published on Friday said that Cambodia saw a 9.7 percent increase of foreign tourist arrivals during the first quarter of this year.

According to the report, Chinese tourists top the country’s tourism market list with 683,436, a number that increased from quarter to quarter by 35.1 percent. Vietnamese tourists ranked second with 186,863, followed by Laos with 121,489 tourists, Thailand with 97,942 tourists and South Korea with 95,719 tourists.

A total of 1.29 million tourists arrived in the Kingdom via three international airports, while 578,371 arrived via land and waterway.

The report said Phnom Penh and its surrounding areas are the most attractive destinations for international tourists. The area received a total of 1.08 million tourists during the first three months of this year.

Siem Reap province, home to the Angkor temples, received about 787,900 foreign tourists, while coastal provinces such as Preah Sihanouk, Kep, Kampot and Koh Kong received 303,285 tourists.

In a recent meeting, Tourism Minister Thong Khon called on relevant parties to increase the quality of tourism services.

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Mr Khon said poor hospitality in the tourism sector has been reported, particularly in visa processing which requires tourists to spend informal expenses.

Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, yesterday echoed Mr Khon’s statement. She said poor hospitality in the sector can discourage tourists from returning to the Kingdom.

“With nine to 10 percent growth, we are not satisfied because there are many issues we need to overcome. Other Asean countries try hard to attract foreign tourists and make them stay longer,” Ms Sivlin said. “We have to learn and try our best to get those in the private sector and the government to strengthen tourism services.”

“In terms of hospitality, we see some progress, but only small points,” she added. “When we offer poor services to tourists at border gates, tourists are not satisfied and will end their stay earlier.”

Ms Sivlin noted that the domestic production of goods to be sold to tourists should be increased, so local producers can benefit from tourists.

According to a Tourism Ministry Facebook post, Mr Khon said while most tourists arrived via airports, domestic flights are in need of a boost.

“Foreign tourists want to be able to take a plane from Sihanoukville in order to visit Angkor Wat,” he said. “It is easy to go on cruise ships, but domestic air services are difficult.”

Last year, Cambodia received 6.2 million tourists, with the tourism sector earning $4.3 billion.

This year, Cambodia expects to welcome 6.7 million tourists, while it expects to receive seven million by 2020.

Source - KhmerPost